urn:lsid:ibm.com:blogs:entries-cbb260b5-3c14-486e-bc49-4b4320d45935Communications - Tags - buying Capitalize on Cloud.12013-06-26T16:02:13-04:00IBM Connections - Blogsurn:lsid:ibm.com:blogs:entry-004a1e70-1fb1-47ef-81ce-fe863f19a8faShopping and TelecommunicationsAnthony Behananthony.behan@ie.ibm.com27000538DTactiveComment Entriesapplication/atom+xml;type=entryLikes2012-10-29T11:10:16-04:002012-10-29T11:11:21-04:00<!-- [if gte mso 9]&amp;gt;&amp;lt;xml&amp;gt;
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<p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB" lang="EN-GB">A number of
years ago, we were doing some work in collaboration with the Telemanagement
Forum and one of our business partners Amdocs, <a href="http://www.amdocs.com/whitepapers/posters/BMF_Poster_v4.pdf">mapping
business processes to consumer behaviour</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>In essence, we were trying to interpret what an outside in view of the
telco might look like, so that we could better architect telco processes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>So, for example, what the industry called
service assurance, the customer called support; what the telco called billing,
the customer called payment, and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>Crucially, what the telco called “Sales and Marketing” or “Commerce”,
the customer called “Shopping”, and this really struck me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB" lang="EN-GB">As an
industry, we don’t consider our customers to be “shoppers”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>At worst, we think of them as end points on
the network; some better organizations consider them as customers or consumers
with whom we have relationships, but even then there are pretty straightforward
engagement types that are transaction based.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>The process of shopping – that we all do to some extent on Saturday
afternoons, or online at Amazon.com, or wherever we <i>shop</i> – is not really recognized in Telco.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>That has got to
change.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>In a recent <a href="http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/thoughtleadership/ibv-telcoadvocacy.html">IBM
survey</a>, telecommunications customers were half as likely as retail industry
customers to be advocates for their brand.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>Why is that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>It’s because the
retail industry is much better at this than telecom. <br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB" lang="EN-GB">In the
first instance, the last ten years or so has seen a significant shift in buying
patterns; from buying a subscription or access with some devices attached, we
are now buying devices with subscriptions attached.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>That results in a loss of control.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Further, the diversity of offers has
increased – it’s tricky to navigate the various plans on offer, especially when
bundling in a quad play environment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Comparing
one service provider to another is difficult, and while this may be less of an
issue in own-store locations, dealer and distributor networks such as those
that dominate growth markets present other challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB" lang="EN-GB">Browsing,
references, reviews, recommendations, influences and influencers all contribute
to the process of shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Shopping –
without transacting – can be an end in itself for many shoppers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Traditionally there is little value assigned
to this – but if I review plans and devices, perhaps it is for a friend who is
thinking of buying.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Engaging the customer
at all stages of the shopping process therefore can make for a richer and more
rewarding relationship with the customer and with those within the customer’s
sphere of influence – her social network. <br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB" lang="EN-GB">Some of our
clients are becoming very aware of this, and developing plans and solutions to
integrate big data with commerce projects, and looking for greater channel
integration.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Recording and understanding
all interactions, and supporting the store associate, or the call center rep,
or the website in its decisioning and support of the customer in an intelligent
and sensitive way can make for a better shopping experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>And a better shopping experience will lead to
better satisfaction, and better levels of consumer advocacy for
telecommunications companies.</span></p>
&nbsp; A number of
years ago, we were doing some work in collaboration with the Telemanagement
Forum and one of our business partners Amdocs, mapping
business processes to consumer behaviour . &nbsp;
In essence, we were trying to interpret what an outside...001524urn:lsid:ibm.com:blogs:entries-cbb260b5-3c14-486e-bc49-4b4320d45935Communications2013-06-26T16:02:13-04:00